good 4 u

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Lore & Background

Rodrigo announced her debut studio album, Sour, on April 1, 2021, with "Good 4 U" placed sixth on the track listing. On May 10, Rodrigo announced via her social media accounts that "Good 4 U" would become the third single from Sour on May 14, following "Drivers License" and "Deja Vu". In her August 2021 Variety cover story, Rodrigo stated she came up with the song's hook in the shower. She added she did not want the entirety of Sour to be "sad piano songs", but also did not want to write a happy, "I'm in love" pop song, because "that was so far from how [she] was truly feeling at the time". Rodrigo concluded that "Good 4 U" was "really satisfying" due to its upbeat energy and danceability without sacrificing honesty and authenticity in her lyrics. In August 2021, Paramore members Hayley Williams and Josh Farro received writing credits, as the chorus was inspired by Paramore's 2007 song "Misery Business". It was later reported by Variety that Rodrigo's camp had been in contact with Williams and Farro prior to the song's release and they were eventually paid between $700k and $1.2m in royalties.

In Their Own Story

The song begins with an "uncluttered five-note" staccato bass line and Rodrigo's vocals delivered in a soft tone, which is then joined by an energetic guitar, using a chorus effect, before dropping into the drums-driven chorus. The second verse returns to the original bass line with added "lilting" drum beats and backup harmonies and slowly ascends to Rodrigo's "near-shout" vocal delivery. In "Good 4 U", Rodrigo confronts her ex, who has moved on very quickly from the relationship with her, using plentiful sarcastic remarks and singing, "Well, good for you / You look happy and healthy, not me / If you ever cared to ask / Good for you / You're doin' great out there without me, baby / God, I wish that I could do that / I've lost my mind, I've spent the night / Cryin' on the floor of my bathroom / But you're so unaffected, I really don't get it / But I guess good for you." It marks a departure from Rodrigo's preceding singles, "Drivers License" and "Deja Vu", which presented a melancholic and slower emotion.

Reader's Guide

The accompanying music video features Rodrigo as a high-school cheerleader exacting revenge, visually alluding to the films Audition, The Princess Diaries, and Jennifer's Body. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, "Good 4 U" received a nomination for Best Music Video. The single reached number one in 23 countries, including Australia, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States; it was the second chart-topping single from Sour in many of those countries, following Rodrigo's debut single, "Drivers License" (2021). "Good 4 U" peaked within the top 10 in more than 20 territories. The song received Platinum or multi-Platinum certifications globally, as well as Diamond in France and Mexico, and ranks among the top 100 most streamed songs of all-time on Spotify with over 2.3 billion streams as of November 2024. In the United States, "Good 4 U" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, giving Rodrigo her second number-one song in the country, following her eight-week chart-topper "Drivers License". Sour became the first debut album in history to have two of its songs debut at number one on the Hot 100. "Good 4 U" has been certified seven-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In the United Kingdom, the song topped the chart, becoming Rodrigo's second number-one single after "Drivers License". It topped the charts for five consecutive weeks, in the fourth of which it became the first rock song to reach such a feat since Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life" (2003). "Good 4 U" spent a total of 61 weeks in the UK Top 100 and has since been certified quintuple Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Did You Know?

• Three months after the track's release, Hayley Williams and Josh Farro were retrospectively given co-writing credits due to influence from Paramore's "Misery Business" (2007).
• Rodrigo came up with the song's hook in the shower, as she stated in her August 2021 Variety cover story.
• "Good 4 U" became the first rock song to top the UK Singles Chart for five consecutive weeks since Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life" in 2003, though "Bring Me to Life" itself only spent one week at number one.
• The song ranks among the top 100 most streamed songs of all-time on Spotify with over 2.3 billion streams as of November 2024.
• The accompanying music video visually alludes to the films Audition, The Princess Diaries, and Jennifer's Body.

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